The Legend of The Grim Dawn
by TheChargingRhino
Summary: Hyrule is in chaos. The Grim Dawn has descended, and, in the middle of it all, a young man will rise above the rest, and rid the land of evil.
1. Prologue

_...In the land of Hyrule...in an age not so long ago..._

 **Hello people. What is this, you may ask? Well, I had a _brilliant_ idea...**

 _...An event struck the Kingdom, an event so horrific that it was only known by one name: The Grim Dawn._

 **That's right.**

 _Many lines were wiped clear from the Earth, others were decimated until a few members lived. But one line in particular had lived through all the Wars...The Forester Clan._

 **TheChargingRhino presents...**

 _And they would do so in this one._

 **The Legend of The Grim Dawn- A Zelda/Grim Dawn crossover**

 **If I can get it set up, expect something by the same name to be in the Forums sometime in the (hopefully) near future. (There's a guy who's making a Diablo 1+2 modded version) And, now, let's begin.**

* * *

 **Devil's Crossing**

 **The Gallows**

It had become routine for the denizens of the stronghold known as Devil's Crossing. It was hard work, rounding up what were known as "Taken", and hanging them. Today, however, would change that. For good.

"...We paid a heavy price. But the trap worked?" Two men and a women were gathered around a "Taken", a human that had been "taken" over by what was known as an Aetherial. The woman looked up at the two men. "You seem surprised."

John Bourbon shook his head. "It's been a while since we've had a win. How long will it hold?" He gestured towards the trap, which composed of a golden ritual circle and strange markings.

Shadina sighed. "I've never trapped a being like this. But, the bonds hold, for now."

"How do we dispose of it?" John nodded towards the kneeling figure that was trapped in the circle.

Shadina smirked a bit. "I'm just a Witch. _You're_ the solider."

Jarvis, the Hangman nodded. "If it bleeds, I can kill it."

John turned and looked specialty at Jarvis. "How do you _kill_ a _spirit_ , though?"

Shadina stood and looked at the two men. "If you kill the mortal vessel while it's bound, the spirit may perish within. If it escapes-"

Jarvis rushed up between Shadina and John. "It's _listening_ to us!"

* * *

Crackling from the amount of power and energy the being held, it slowly lifted its glowing head and started at the three humans.

John took a step forwards. " _What_ are _you_?"

Then the thing _spoke_. "Others of your kind call us...Aetherial."

"Why have you invaded our world?"

The Aetherial grinned. " _Your_ world? _We_ existed first- we were banished by _your_ corrupt Gods! Your kind opened the way, and now, we've returned to reclaim what by right shall be _ours_!"

Jarvis took a step forwards and help up a noose. "I've heard enough of this rubbish-let's hang it."

* * *

The Aetherial was strung up by Jarvis. Even thought it was going to die, it still continued to talk to them. "Destroy this vessel, and I will find another. I've tasted it's desires and emotions. Your kind is _weak_. You have already lost this war."

Jorn nodded to Jarvis. "Do it."

So, Jarvis kicked the stool over that was keeping the Aetherial from dieing. And, in that moment, history was changed. Forever.

* * *

Suddenly, as the body was hanging, a golden light ***** began to appear from the body's left hand. Then, the Atherial presence _left_ the body, revealing it to be a young male.

Shadina rushed towards John. "Captain!"

John yelled at Jarvis to cut the man down.

" _What? Are you mad?!_ Better safe than sorry! _"_

The figure had begun to claw at the rope, desperate to free itself.

Shadina stepped forwards. "The spirit has fled!"

John stepped forwards and reached into his coat. "This is a human, now!"

He took out a pistol and fired it at the rope, severing it a bit. He and the figure locked gazes for a second, then, John fired again, thoroughly cutting the rope, and sent the figure to the ground.

* * *

Everything was distant. He didn't remember much. But he was alive. People were speaking, though...

* * *

John, Shadina, and Jarvis looked down upon the young man, who was struggling to stay awake. Shadina nodded. "The Captain is correct. When he awakens, he won't remember a thing."

John looked on as the boy seemed to pass out for a few seconds, then awaken again. "The Aetherial was right. The war is lost. But we're a resistance, now, and we need every human survivor we can call to our cause. Maybe this one here can still die with some honor. If he ever wakes up, send him to me. If not...bury him deep with the rest."

* * *

Jarvis shifted a bit from where he was kneeling. From what he could tell, the boy looked almost grown, maybe around the age of 17, or 18. Jarvis then realized that the boy was looking at him. His eyes were the color of sapphires. Jarvis thought the boy looked oddly familiar, but before he could say or do anything, the boy's gaze moved from him to the darkened sky above, then his eyes slowly closed. Jarvis now knew _exactly_ who this boy was. "...Oh _Hylia...James..._ this is _his_ boy..." All Jarvis could do was inform Kasparov that James Forester's son had made his way to them unintentionally. Goddesses be Damned if he didn't at least _try_ to help...

* * *

 *** Guess what the golden light is? Note the hand that it appears from,** too.


	2. Chapter 1- Welcome to Devil's Crossing

**Act 1- The Aetherial Threat (some personalities will be changed- such as Jarvis. He's going to be more "outgoing" this time around.**

 **Chapter 1- Welcome to Devil's Crossing**

 **The Gallows**

The first thing that he noticed was that his head hurt. A lot. The second thing he noticed was what was above him. It was a rusted iron cage, hanging about six feet above him, that was connected to a wooden post by some rope. The contents of this cage was what caught his attention- a dead man, now basically a rotting skeleton.

Then he heard a voice. "So you finally decided to wake up, huh?"

The voice belonged to an older man. He somewhat remembered his voice, but from where, he could not figure out.

* * *

Jarvis knew that the boy wished to speak with him, but all that he heard was one word: water. He couldn't help with that, so he called over to Barnabas, who was the drink management person. "Hey, Barnabas!"

"What about, Jarvis?"

Jarvis nodded down to the boy. "He needs a drink. And since we can't give him the water that we've got..." The two locked gazes. "Can you handle whiskey?" The boy nodded.

Jarvis grinned and motioned for Barnabas to throw him a flask.

* * *

A few seconds later, Jarvis discovered that the "Taken" was a chatterbox- the kid wouldn't stop talking. He thanked both of them, then went on to say "This is some Damn fine whiskey- who made it?" Barnabas was happy to say that he had made the brew himself, which caused the boy to stand, walk over to him, and shake his hand.

"You've gotta name, kid?"

The boy nodded. "Yes sir."

Barnabas crossed his arms. "Well?" The boy looked down for a few seconds.

"My full name is...Lincoln Forester..."

Then he looked back up. "But you can call me Link, if you want."

Barnabas and Link then went into a long discussion about the finer aspects of a good shot of whiskey. Their conversation drew the attention of John and Kasparov.

"So, your name's Link, eh?"

Link turned to face the two men.

"Yes."

John nodded.

"I somewhat remember you- you came here with your father when you were little, he had to check up on some things...by the way, Do you...remember anything?"

"From when?"

"When you were Taken?"

Link looked down for bit, as if he was trying to get his thought in order, then nodded and raised his head to look at the men.

"I do...Is...is there a Hart here?"

John and Kasparov looked at each other, then back towards Link.

"...Yes...Sybil Hart is here...why?"

Link then shocked everyone by reaching in his satchel bag and pulling out a necklace.

"...Where did you get that?"

"Milton gave it to me...it was when I was taken-he was still...there. He knew that I was heading in this direction, so he gave me the necklace and sent me on my way...but I didn't get far away enough not to hear the gunshot..."

"...You mean he...that poor lad..."

Link nodded somberly. "He was nice. Real nice. Shame he went out like that...by the way...how long was I lying there for?"

The three older men looked at each other then back to Link. John answered for them. "Around five hours. Look, I'd just _love_ to stay around and chat, but we've got a situation on our hands. I know that you just woke up and all, but are you up to something?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Link received a grin in answer.

"I knew it. You've got the spirit of your ancestors, boy. Alright. There's an Atherial Reanimator up on Burial Hill that needs killed. Everyone around here has their hands full. That's where _you_ come in. If you're up to it, I need _you_ to kill the thing."

"...Well...If I had the proper supplies..."

John nodded, realizing that boy was indeed serious about going. "I'll give you whatever you need-but make it reasonable."

"Alright."

* * *

A few hours later, Link had gotten what he needed and was ready to head out into the unknown. After saying goodbye to the guards, he slung his knapsack over one shoulder and headed across the bridge.

He then stopped at the end of the zombie carcass-lined bridge, turned, raised a hand in farewell, then turned and continued on his way.

Little did he know that his quest was just beginning.

* * *

 **I am SO sorry.**

 **I got in the 'funk' of writing this again. I've finished chapter 2, and I'm almost done with 3.**


	3. Chapter 2 -The Battle of Burial Hill

**The Legend of the Grim Dawn**

 **Act 1- The Aetherial Threat**

 **Chapter 2- Battle of Burial Hill**

 **(For this novel, ALL chapters titles shall be in bold, regardless of content.)**

* * *

 **Lower Crossing**

 **1 year after the Grim Dawn-9-08-14**

 **0001**

Link had already dispatched more monstrosities than he could count. There had been many kinds-Walking Dead, Wretchers, and Corpsefiends. And those were just the beginning. He had happened to find a broadsword under a rotting corpse, one that had died from what he hoped was natural causes, but the truth was that he had died horribly-the man's lower body was missing.

He was taking shelter in a run-down house at the moment. It wasn't much to look at either- some of the windows were missing, what was left of the wallpaper was peeling, some of the roof was gone, some of the floorboards were missing, and Link had had to move some broken and infested furniture against the door to barricade it. Oh, and there was dried blood everywhere.

"...I don't know how much more of this I can take..." His weary voice was almost drowned out by the sudden crack of thunder. Seconds later, the rain began coming down in earnest. Shivering, Link moved to a drier part of the house and began cleaning his weapon.

It wasn't pretty to look at-it was chipped and dented in a few places, and it had obviously been home-made. But it killed things, and that was all he needed in this world. He had decided to call it 'Bloodletter'.

* * *

A few hours later, the rain cleared out enough that Link could move out of the house. Once outside, he noted a few monsters coming up the east-ward path. _Great. Just what I needed._ Gritting his teeth, the teenager began to move towards the dead, who had seen him and were now moving at a quicker rate.

The boy reached the dead first. Link swung _Bloodletter_ at the nearest Corpsefiend and sprayed blood everywhere. Then he felt as if something had burned him and he turned to intercept a Wretcher that had attacked him. The thing died instantly. As he continued to swing the blade, the world began to feel distant. As he later found out, that was just the beginning of his troubles.

* * *

What felt like hours later, Link was standing in the middle of the field, surrounded by corpses. Wary, his cerulean gaze swept the area. Seeing nothing moving, the teenager made his way over to a tree and lowered himself onto its roots _. I have to be near Burial Hill by now, but I should rest before moving on._

Then he heard something. It sounded like skittering. _...Rift Scourges_. They were things from the void-some said that they were mutant cockroaches. Link didn't care what they were-they bled and that was all that mattered.

After dealing with the beasts, Link went up to the house that was nearby and kicked the door down. To his shock, a man was cowering in the far corner.

"...Sir? Are you alright?"

The man slowly uncurled and looked towards the door. The two locked gazes.

"...Who are you? What are you doing here? Did you kill those things outside? Are the others safe?"

Link took a cautious step forwards and glanced in the man's direction. The man nodded and he crossed the room and sat down across from him.

"To answer your questions, sir, I go by Link Forester, I was sent by Mr. Bourbon to Burial Hill-yes, and everyone is alright. And yes, I did kill the Rift Scourges. You're free to go."

The man sat up and nodded. "But how am I to get back?"

"Riftgate."

The man gawked at him. "E-Excuse me?"

Link took a deep breath and continued. "I can use Riftgates."

"The ones I saw were active...and it wasn't good things that were coming out of them...still...you say that you know the folks at the camp...I guess I can trust you...okay."

The man slowly got to his feet and held out a hand. Link shook it.

"Names' John Davis, it's nice to see someone else. I'm ready."

Link opened the purple gate and sent John Davis back to Devil's Crossing.

"May Hylia look after you, 'cause after this, I can't."

Several minutes later, Link exited the house and continued north, stopping along the way for basic necessities every now and then.

After fighting his way through a mob of monsters, Link came upon a Riftgate. He activated it and the gate flicked into existence. _Good. Now I can fast travel here without having to walk all this way._ The boy heard noises up on the hill above him and being the curious sort, set off to investigate.

After killing a few monsters that were infected by Aether Crystals, Link made his way into the Burial Cave, but not before pocketing quite a few of the small glowing crystals for himself.

* * *

 **Inside the Burial Cave**

 **9-10-14**

 **0007**

It was nearly pitch black inside the cavern. Nothing seemed to be near him for the moment, so Link waited for his eyes to adjust and checked his gear.

After his vision grew accustomed to the darkness, the teenager set out.

After killing a lone Walking Dead, he crossed a stone bridge and killed two more. He then moved down a natural ramp, killing off three more of the monsters.

At the bottom of the ramp was his goal- the Reanimator that was reanimating corpses for his own hellish purposes. Link swiftly drew _Bloodletter_ from its make-shift sheath at his side and stepped forwards. "Tonight, you'll dine in Hell." Then he charged.

The monster swung his weapon at the boy and the sound of metal striking metal resounded throughout the cavern. The monster leaned close. "You think you can kill me? It's only the beginning, _human_ *****. We _are_ many, we _are_ strong...even now our master works tirelessly to strengthen our _already_ massive army... _your kind shall fall_." Link bent down and backflipped away from the Reanimator and killed a few Walking Deads. He then swung his weapon at the monster and it cut into the decaying flesh. As the monster suffered, Link began walking towards it. "Not while I'm still alive." The boy took a step forwards, and raised his weapon to end the fight. Then the monster happened to look at him.

He was mesmerized. He couldn't look away, no matter how hard he tried. _He's going to kill you! Snap out of it!_ But he couldn't. The Reanimator's eyes shone with glee as the weapons slashed downwards.

* * *

Then the thing screamed. Clutched at its face. Something had happened, but what? Link found that he was able to move again, and he took the chance.

The boy sprang forwards and ended the monsters' life by stabbing it in the chest. When he calmed down enough, he happened to look down. Something was pressing against his left leg. At first glance, it appeared to be a living bush.

Link swung his sword a few times to rid it of blood then sheathed the weapon and bent down to look at the creature. "What are you?" The creature rumbled in reply. It...no... _he_ was speaking to him. "A Briarthorn? And you're my companion now?" Link slowly reached out and the creature pressed his face into the boy's outstretched palm. _The branches and leaves do not seem to affect me..._ Smiling a bit, the teenager moved to a nearby rock and the beast leaned against him, seeking affection. Since no one else was around, Link didn't mind.

* * *

After a few minutes of bonding, the two set off to dispatch the other monsters in the cave, then the Briarthorn directed Link to a strange object in an offshoot. As the boy and the beast neared the object, it flickered briefly, then died. "What is it?"

The beast rumbled in reply.

"A Shrine? What do they do?"

The beast rumbled again.

"Make you more powerful? And they require offerings?"

Link turned to the Shrine and bent down in front of it. He could faintly make out what appeared to be the symbol for Aether Crystals. The teen dug into his pouch and took one out and set it in the alcove.

It didn't take long.

The Shrine flashed and then came alive. Link felt the effects shortly after. He did feel a tad bit stronger than before.

Seeing that there really was nothing left to do, Link called up a Riftgate and headed back to Devil's Crossing with his new companion to tell John Bourbon what had transpired.

* * *

 ***The enemies don't know the difference between Hylians and Humans. They're just hosts to them.**


	4. Chapter 3- Helping Out

**The Legend of the Grim Dawn**

 **Act 1- The Aetherial Threat**

 **Chapter 3- Helping Out (This chapter will be the Helping Out quest)**

 **Devil's Crossing**

 **9-11-14**

 **0006**

The two appeared back in Devil's Crossing a few seconds later. Link took a few steps forwards and then stopped. Off to his right, beyond the wooden wall, he heard something. Someone was berating the Goddesses for making him ill. Link wondered what was wrong with the man but then his Brairthorn doubled up and coughed.

Seconds later, he figured out why. A cold breeze went through the shack and carried with it this nauseating aroma that made the teen stumble backwards and he ended up tripping on the stairs behind him.

He found himself staring up at the ceiling of Kasparov's cabin. The man was somewhere in the room, messing around with an experiment of his. " _Jarvis_! _What_ did I tell you about coming in here drunk! It's enough that we can't drink the….Lincoln? Is that _you_? Whatever are you doing down there? Come on, get up. That's it. Now, I take it that you dealt with the Reanimator?" Link nodded in reply towards the elderly scientist.

"I did."

"Good, Good….what seems to be the problem?"

Link moved away from the doorway and sat down on the lone cot in the far left corner. "What's wrong with him?"

"Who?"

Link waved a hand towards the Riftgate. Fortunately, Kasparov knew who he was speaking of. "You mean that poor soul in the outhouse? Truth is, I fear that he is dying. The water supply has been….contaminated. Barnabas has been warning folks to not drink the water, but that poor soul didn't listen….his insides are bleeding."

"...His insides are….. _Goddesses_ ….Can we do anything?"

Kasparov shook his head and crossed the room. "I'm afraid not, not for him. But for others...yes. You'll have to get permission from John before you talk to Barnabas. Now, before you go off, I...require something….Do you happen to have any Aether Crystals?"

Link nodded and got up from the cot. "I do. How many would you like?"

"Four should do it."

"Right. Hang on."

The teen dug into his pouch at his side and took out a bunch of the slightly green glowing crystals. He then gave four to the old man and put the rest away.

"Excellent….excellent….now….we'll just put them and here and…" An explosion rocked the cabin.

* * *

"...Are you alright? Yes...hmm….all my fingers are still intact...I feel fine-how about you?"

Link quickly checked to see if he was still intact-he was and nodded towards Kasparov. "I feel fine except….I feel...stronger…"

The scientist nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course, I have no doubt that a tad bit more Aether in your system will do you no harm…" He clasped his hands together. "I have another request for you. My apprentice, Delilah, has gone missing. She was gathering supplies for me around Burrwitch Estates-way up North. If you happen to find her, send her back here, will you?"

Link nodded again and began to move towards the open doorway, reaching into his pouch as he did so. "I will.. Right after I do something."

"And that is…?"

To Kasparov's shock, the boy pulled something out that looked like a stick. "What in Hyrule….?"

"It's a wand."

"A….Are you…?"

"A Wizard. The least I can do is try to help that man….now...the first thing is to get rid of that smell…"

The boy pointed the wand in the general direction of the outhouse and moved it sharply to the right. " _Tergeo_!"

* * *

"...I don't believe it-that spell did _something_."

Link grinned and put away his wand. "Yep. That spell cleans up anything. Pretty useful."

"Indeed….I believe John wants to see you...You'd best go and talk to him."

"I will, thanks for the help."

After staying and talking to Kasparov for a few more minutes, Link walked out of the cabin and headed for the middle of the camp, just before the gate.

* * *

Bourbon nodded and grinned as the boy approached him, a beast trotting by his side. "See you found yourself a Briarthorn. They're near impossible to tame. I take it that the Reanimator is dead?"

He received a nod. "Excellent, hopefully the amount of dead will decrease….now, onto more pressing business. The water pump is broken, and we really don't have any drinking water. And Kasparov...you've already seen him? Well, I suggest that you go and speak with Barnabas then. See what you can do. After that, come and talk to me. My office is just inside." The man gestured behind him to the left a bit. "Any questions?" No? Alright. Go on, then."

* * *

Barnabas's face lit up when he saw Link approaching him. "Ah, Link! I was waiting for you. See, the water pump's been broke for some time...thing is, I need some Scrap to fix it. If you haven't found any, they can be found around the Old Dump, which is just past Burial Hill."

In answer, Link dug into his pouch and brought out a bundle of wires and metal. "Would this do?"

"Yes, that'd do fine…..That's odd….I haven't smelled a stench like that since…..Damnation." Link looked at Barnabas with question and the older man carried on. "A pack of Slith made their nest in the depths of the prison. They secrete a poison into the water to make it safe for them, as you possibly saw, it's fatal to us." The man peered cautiously at Link. "You didn't _drink_ any, did you?"

"...I...might have? I mean, I took some with me to Burial Hill….?"

Barnabas ran a hand down his face. "...How long ago was this?"

"Three or four days ago. why?"

"The first symptoms should of shown by now."

"I feel fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes. ...Want me to go and take care of those...what were they called?"

Barnabas handed Link a rusted key. "Use that in the house next to me to get into the dungeons. The beasts are called Slith. Abominations of lizards and man. Watch yourself."

"I will."

* * *

 **Devil's Crossing (Prison Dungeons)**

 **0011**

Link dropped the last few feet from the ladder and rolled to protect himself, then stood. Bramble, his Brairthorn, appeared by his side. The beast snarled quietly and ran off into the darkness. _...Wait on me, why don't you?_ Smiling to himself, the teen swiftly drew Bloodletter and began walking into the depths.

Link and Bramble had dispatched most of the monsters in the area, then Bramble snarled in alarm and shoved his friend out of the way. Link landed on his hands and knees and his sword skidded across the dirt floor away from him. Among the chaos, the boy retrieved his sword and turned to find that he was in the presence of five Skutula. _Finally, a foe that I know well._ The boy waited until the spiders had surrounded him, then swung Bloodletter in a circle. The beasts died instantly. Bramble reappeared by Link's side and the two continued to go deeper in the prison...

* * *

 **Devil's Aquaduct**

 **0013**

He smelled the Slith before he saw them. They smelled horrible, but that didn't deter him from the task at hand. Link and Bramble killed a bunch of spiders, then began dealing with the mass mobs of Slith. The beasts swung their infected claws at the warrior, but he managed to dodge them or his sword connected with them.

He ending up retreating for a bit, then began a hit and run tactic. It seemed to work. At last, all that was left was the leader.

The hill he was standing on was around ten feet tall, but that didn't scare him. The beast in front of him was twelve feet tall, but that didn't scare him. Link tightened his grip on his sword and stepped forwards. "Tonight, you die, beast!" And charged.

With each blow, the beast snarled and hissed in agony. Link almost felt sorry for it. "It's either you or me. I intend to live." Then the beast raised his finned head to gaze at him. Link faltered in his attack and slightly lowered his blade. Then, the beast _spoke_. "...Why? Why do you hurt me ssssssso?" The boy took a few steps backwards, silently taking comfort in the now snarling bundle of leaves and twigs by his side. "You're contaminating the drinking water. If you were somewhere else, this might not be a problem...how can I understand you?" The beast spat something in Link's direction and he leapt backwards.

"FOOL! You are a ssssskin-changer, are you not? You hear in the thought-ssssspeak!"

"...I do...Is that why?"

"YESSSSSSS!"

The Slith swung his claws towards Link again and he blocked the attack with his Iron Shield, which he had fortunately bought before coming down here for 100 Rupees. Sparks flew as the two began to battle in earnest.

At last, the beast was downed, and Link was the victor of the fight. Another Shrine was nearby, this one required a piece of Salvaged Plating, so he inserted the necessary component into the alcove and the Shrine was restored. Link then called Bramble to his side and the two used a Personal Rift to return to the surface.

* * *

 **Devil's Crossing**

 **9-12-14**

 **0002**

Link was greeted by Kasparov when he reappeared in Devil's Crossing. "How goes it?"

Link swung his sword to rid it of blood and then sheathed it. "The water's safe to drink now."

The old man grinned. "Excellent! You'd better go and tell Barnabas that."

Barnabas, in question, was elated when Link told him what had happened. "That's good. It'll take some time for the poison to completely go away...but at least we have clean drinking water again. John says he wishes to speak with you."

"I've heard. I'll go and speak with him now."

* * *

After celebrating his victory over the Slith and filling up his canteen for the road ahead, Link set off towards the inner prison. When he reached the gate, the older man greeted him. "It's thanks to you that I can drink water without having to wonder if I'll bleed to death. We owe you. Welcome to the fort, Mister Forester." Link nodded in answer and the man moved aside as the teen crossed the threshold.

From there, the boy picked his way through the rubble along the left side, and came upon an open doorway. He could hear John speaking to someone inside. Steeling himself, Link stepped into the room and his companion snarled quietly as the two men's gazes turned on him.

John dismissed the other man and Link had to step aside as the man exited the room.

"Link? I assume that you've helped Barnabas? Come. Sit down. From what I've heard, you have a _long_ journey ahead."

Link seated himself in front of John, not really looking at him. The older man leaned forwards and clasped his hands. "Link. I have good reason to believe that your father is still alive."

That got his attention.

John continued. "I've heard reports from up north that a man that looks like you has been rounding up bodies...but I assume that he's being forced to by the Warden. Warden Krieg. Evil man, was sentenced to death, but escaped after the Grim Dawn. If we're to survive, he needs to be killed. I-no, _we_ will fund you with the necessary supplies. Are you up to it?"

Link slowly raised his gaze from the table to John's weathered face. "...When can I leave?"

"As soon as possible."

"Then I'll do as you ask."

The two men shook hands and as they did, a lone raven took off from a nearby tree, cawing as it did so, telling of things to come in the next few days...


	5. Chapter 4 Part 1- To Cross A Bridge

**The Legend of the Grim Dawn**

 **Act 1- The Aetherial Threat**

 **Chapter 4 Part 1- One's Journey to Cross a Simple Bridge**

 **Wightmire (Burrwitch Road)**

 **9-15-14**

It had been four days since Link, the son of renowned Aristocrats Cody and Heather Forester, set out from Devil's Crossing towards the Burrwitch Estates, far to the North. In that time, he had explored much of the area around him up to now. He had found scraps of paper written by other people, some were before the Grim Dawn, some chronicled the last moments of the people that wrote them. He had also found a note on Milton Hart after he had warily returned to the cabin following the gunshot.

Of course, his time spent with Milton was when he was Taken, so he didn't remember too much. Then, as he was resting beneath an oak tree with his Brairthorn keeping watch, Link's mind shifted through the dim memories of that time period and one memory became crystal clear.

* * *

 _The thing was speaking to him again. He had tried so hard to fight it, but it was in vain. The thing knew it was close to completely taking control of him… But he could do one last thing as a human before that happened._

 _He had heard a gun go off in the direction of the Hart's cabin, and he wanted to make sure Milton had aimed right-he might have still been alive._

 _He approached the house from the east. There were noises, so he took out a shattered knife and gripped the handle. It didn't take long for something to come out-it was Milton. Or...had been._

 _What really got to him was that something was still there. The thing didn't attack him , but merely staggered towards him, reached inside the torn shirt, and brought out a heart shaped necklace. 'Milton' then held out the necklace towards him, his still human eyes pleading. He couldn't say no._

 _"...Take….to….Sybil….sister…..tell her….how I feel….Lincoln….please….release me….from…" The reanimated corpse tugged at his shirt and the thing inside him rebelled._

 _He fought the thing for a bit longer, took the necklace from the outstretched hand, put it around his own neck, silently drew the knife, and swung._

 _Milton had stopped the blade. The corpse shook his head, blood flying in all directions. "No….too small….use this…." The corpse handed him a loaded pistol._

 _Green eyes locked cerulean. He could see the uncertainty and the toll the thing was taking on him in Milton's eyes. He raised the pistol to eye level, and looked at it with wariness._

 _"Hurry….I might….hurt you…."_

 _Realizing that Milton was also fighting the beast inside him, he slowly brought the gun up to the man's forehead, clicked the hammer back, and fired._

A loud snarl of anger brought him back. Bramble rushed past him as he leapt to his feet and drew _Bloodletter_ , then the two set off to deal with the mobs of Slith that had congregated around the area.

* * *

 **Several hours later**

Link and Bramble emerged from a forest in the Foggy Banks, only to see that the way was blocked by an overturned cart. Two rotting horse corpses were lying beside it, still hitched to the rotting wood.

Bramble rushed up to the cart and began sniffing it. "Did you find anything?"

The Brairthorn rumbled in answer and ran back to Link.

"Slith did this? Think the owner of this cart is still alive?"

Bramble nodded in answer.

"Don't really know why you're so certain of it, but alright."

The teen noted Slith tracks that lead off to the right, towards the river. _They might be this way…._

He began walking towards the river, occasionally tripping over the hidden boulders and tree roots in his haste to find the person.

* * *

 **A few hours of searching later**

Bramble suddenly veered up a hill and began attacking mobs of Slith. Link was weary already but hefted his sword and and began slashing as the beasts reached him.

After a few minutes, the beasts lay dead. Across the hill were three wooden cages. Two were empty, but the other one…..

His fatigue forgotten, Link rushed over and tore the wooden door away from the cage. "Are you alright?"

The man simply looked at him, then he slowly nodded. "...Yes….those... _things_ ambushed me on the road, killed my horses, ruined my supplies and brought me here. No doubt they were planning to eat me or something of that manner...where did you come from?"

"Devil's Crossing. To the south."

"The old prison?"

"Yessir."

The older man nodded and stepped from his confinement. "How will I get there?"

"By Riftgate."

"A Riftgate? Well, I really have nothing else….by the way, I happen to have a few wares left...when you get back, come and see me. I think I can get you something."

As Link called up a Personal Rift, Bramble was running around and trying to find other things to get rid off.

"Strange beast you have there."

"Yes. Mr. Bourbon said that Brairthorns are impossible to tame."

The gate had enclosed the man and Link only heard him say only one thing before he was gone. "Guess you're the exception then."

* * *

 **Several hours later**

 **Near Burrwitch Outskirts**

Link was to learn many things while traveling, but one incident stuck with him for a long time. He had somehow run out of food, and eventually had to hunt down a Savager, which was a huge rodent that was white and ran around nearly upright.

A few hours later, he learnt the hard way why there wasn't any of the meat at Devil's Crossing. At the moment, Bramble was taking shelter near a thicket.

"Go away. I don't need your sympathy."

The beast rumbled in response.

" _No_."

 _When can we leave?_

"Bramble-just….stop asking me questions. We'll leave when I feel better. _Not_ before."

 _You're taking this quite well. Have you been sick like this before?_

The voice turned guarded. "Yes. But _you_ don't need to know when or why."

 _You sound better._

"Well I don't _feel_ better."

Bramble got up and pushed his way through the thicket. The beast quickly ran back out a few moments later, followed by a thrown rock.

" _Out_!"

* * *

 **Sometime later**

 _I still have not forgiven you for throwing that rock at me._

"Be quiet."

 _I take it that you are well?_

"...Bramble…."

 _Yeeessss?_

Completely fed up with the Briarthorn now, Link stopped suddenly and quickly turned around.

" _Why_ in the name of Hylia are _you so persistent_?!"

Bramble rolled his eyes and shoved past his companion, heading for the distant structure in the distance.

 _Do not ask me, meanwhile, look where our bickering has lead us._

The beast continued to make his way towards the ruined bridge when he noticed Link wasn't with him.

 _Why are you just standing there?_

"...Is...is that a bridge?"

 _Yes. but it is destroyed….mind you, we_ could _repair it….do you have enough Scrap and Rupees?_

"...Do I have….let me check that…."

The teen reached into his satchel and dug around, then pulled out a small pile of gems and a few pieces of metal and wire. "Would this do?"

 _….Hmmmm…..No….I am afraid not. But-do not lose hope-there is another way._

"What is that?"

Bramble ambled down a dirt path to the side of the road, and came to a stop before a cave entrance.

Link walked down the path, then over to the darkness and looked inside.

 _This leads to the Flooded Passage._

"Is it safe to go in?"

 _No, But we have no other option…_

The boy drew his head back out and gestured for the beast to go in front of him.

"You first. Besides, it's beginning to rain."

 _Then we should make haste. Come._

Bramble padded inside the cave and Link had no choice to follow.

As he passed the threshold, he glanced one more time up at the full moon, then took a deep breath and plunged into the cave.

* * *

 **Flooded Passage is next...I might cheat and have the two find the Sunken Reliquary here instead of in Act 2...Also, I appear to have gotten lots of things wrong...oh well. Locations can be changed, right?**


End file.
